A Living Tradition [Architecture of the Bahamas]

A Living Tradition [Architecture of the Bahamas] by Stephen A. Mouzon. paperback edition. ISBN: 9781931871082.

A Living Tradition [Architecture of the Bahamas] is a richly illustrated description of the architectural traditions of the Bahamas over the past four centuries. But this is not just another catalog of architecture in paradise. Rather, it is a workbook, or "pattern book," that examines each pattern of architecture in detail, such as the proportion of a window, the slope of a roof, or the design of a garden wall. By doing so, it directs the design of new buildings that can become part of the centuries-long tradition of the architecture of the Most-Loved Places of the Bahamas. Until now, pattern books of our day were something akin to recipe books, instructing which details to use for each style of architecture. A Living Tradition re-thinks pattern books from the ground up. It is principle-based, not style-based. Those principles are based on the architecture that makes the most sense for the Bahamas, not a random collection of historical styles. And each principle is explained in the plain-spoken fashion of ""we do this because..."" One reason for building this way was to be sustainable. Originally (before the Thermostat Age,) traditional architecture had no choice but to be green, otherwise people would suffer or even die from weather and storm conditions. A Living Tradition explains the Original Green of each pattern that contributes to sustainability, re-infusing architecture with the green wisdom all our ancestors knew by heart. With this book, its not just about style anymore.